Two Real Programmers Fix This Sexist Barbie Computer Engineering Book

"Barbie: I Really Can Be a Computer Engineer" is the way it should have been written all along.

Two computers programmers created this perfect "fixed it for you" response to a Barbie project that showed the blonde heroine as unable to learn programming languages.

The original book, Barbie: I Can Be a Computer Engineer, sounded like a good idea at the time. It saw the former dentist's assistant, police officer, and aerobics instructor try her hand at a computer science degree. Rather than building her own app and launching a startup, though, Barbie found herself in a familiar "I'm just a girl" world where she manages to riddle a computer with viruses just by touching it before settling in as a designer (while men around her do all the coding work).

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That didn't sit well with Casey Fiesler and Miranda Parker, who created their own version called Barbie: I Really Can Be a Computer Engineer. The new, much-improved book finds Barbie and little sister Skipper taking on serious computer programming projects only to find that other colleagues get the credit, and Skipper wanting to pursue a career in physics but worrying about sexism in the field. But fear not: Barbie, ever the encouraging sister, tells Skipper not to let the old boy's club stand in her way.

Maybe this spat seems silly, but considering the gender gulf in the STEM fields, anything that makes women feel comfortable pursuing a career in the field (and doesn't tell them they're just going to screw it up) should be heartily encouraged. Code on, sister.